


How long will we play? This game of Charades

by LeoRaion



Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Friends to Enemies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-19
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:22:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22805473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeoRaion/pseuds/LeoRaion
Summary: A Seulgi x Wendy college AU I came up with in my head for the past few days.Seulgi- Main Character- 'Hates Wendy's guts'Wendy- Main Character- 'Hates Seulgi's guts'- Hates being called WendyIrene- Supporting Character- Dislikes it when Seulgi and Wendy get hot-headed- Has a twin brother named IanJoy- Supporting Character- Wants Seulgi and Wendy to make up, but tries not to interfere with their relationshipYeri- Supporting Character- She finds their relationship mildly amusing mostly because it's always just verbal jabs at each other without actual fightingAll five of them are a group of friends.Irene wants them to make up as soon as possible.Joy doesn't really care when they do it, as long as they do it.Yeri enjoys watching them fight but will enjoy watching them make up.Joy and Seulgi are in the same class.Yeri and Wendy are in the same class.Irene is alone.This story will be pretty dialogue-heavy.
Relationships: Kang Seulgi/Son Seungwan | Wendy
Comments: 1
Kudos: 23





	1. Reality Check

Seulgi and Seung Wan, two of the most popular girls in their school. Most people who glance at them will realize how stunning they look, but those who know them well, or even spend 2 minutes in their company will know exactly why word about them spread like wildfire.

The two of them were constantly at each other's throats but barely put up with each other's existence should they be in the same room. Ever since entering college together, every second they spend together was filled with verbal jabs and a heavy tension-filled atmosphere surrounding them. Of course, no storm is permanent, and with their graduation fast approaching, most students and staff are silently thankful that their school will feel a little more at ease.

Meanwhile, Irene, Joy, and Yeri were unknowingly mixed up with their rivalry, and not many people understand why and how, but the three of them managed to soften the atmosphere that the two produced everywhere they went, and they decided to stick with them in an effort to get the two of them to spend more time together and hopefully get on better terms, but sometimes you gotta be careful of what you wish for.

The five of them had gathered together after school in Irene's empty classroom because the two refused to go to each other's 'hellhole', as they put it. Graduation was fast coming up, and the three felt that it was now or never that they made up.

"Do you guys have any plans this weekend?" Irene asked as she scrolled through her phone, "It's been a while since we've spent time with each other, and once we graduate from college, we might not have as much time as we do now to be with each other."

"I don't," Seulgi said with a shrug as she leaned against the wall, keeping her distance from Wendy.

"Not like you spend time with us that much anyway," Wendy jabbed in quietly as she rolled her eyes.

"I don't remember asking you what you think."

"And I don't remember caring about that."

"Must you guys always fight like this whenever we're together," Irene sighed as she rubbed her temples in mild, or great, frustration. She's gotten better at disguising it.

"They can't even stand in the same room without glaring at each other, I have a better chance of winning the lottery than the two of them making up," Joy said as she leaned her head on Irene's shoulder.

"Give it up, we've put up with this since we started college, I don't think they'll stop fighting in the few months we have left." Yeri chimed in as she watched the two of them glare at each other, very clearly amused

"No, I don't think we will" Seulgi and Wendy said at the same time.

"Stop copying me," they both said at the same time.

"No, you stop copying me," they both said at the same time yet again, like a pair of siblings who want to annoy each other.

"You know, for two people who hate each other's guts, you guys are really in sync," Yeri said with a small laugh.

"Don't ever say I'm in sync with her," they both said in sync.

"See? In sync!" she laughed as she clapped her hands.

Clearly, this earned her glares from the two of them as they stormed out in opposite directions, one through the front door of the classroom, the other through the back.

"Please don't antagonize them" Irene sighed as she closed her eyes.

 _'First, those two arguing with each other, now she wants to watch them fight even more? God, please help me._ ' Irene thought as she stared wistfully at both doors.

 _'We only have a few months left, huh?'_ Seulgi thought as she leaned against the wall in an empty hallway, sighing heavily as she stared off into space. _'She'd be happy with that, and if she's happy with me gone, I'd gladly disappear.'_

 _'Why must it be her? I could've felt this way over anyone. Any guy, any girl, but fate wanted me to fall in love with the girl who hates my guts the most?'_ Wendy thought as she slammed her locker shut. _'I just gotta put up with this for a few more months and then I can forget about her.'_ She assured herself as she clenched her fist. _'And she'll forget about me, won't she?'_ She squatted as she leaned her head against her locker.

_'Why must I love the one who hates me the most? Is it my fault? Is it theirs? Is fate trying to mock me?'_

_'But, as long as I pretend to hate her, she won't get weirded out. I just need to keep this up for a few more weeks. This game of charades.'_


	2. She hates me (Seulgi's Side)

"And why am I here?" Seulgi asked as she stood at the entrance of the shopping mall, mildly annoyed at herself for letting Joy convince her to go out. "It's a fucking cold day and you asked me to go out with you, but want me to find you?"  
  
"Of course," Joy said bluntly over the phone, sandwiched between her ear and her shoulder as she looked through some clothes.

"And why would I do that?"

"Because you love me," she said jokingly as she rolled her eyes at her through the phone.

Even though it was a joke, that sentence made Seulgi stiffen, a tossed-aside sentence pricked at her entire life as she sighed. "Don't throw that word around so casually. I can only assume you're at the same store you're always at?"

"Eh? Yeah, yeah I am," Joy said, mildly stunned at her choice of words.

"I'll be there"

"Hurry up," she cooed as she hung up, looking at her phone screen with a mildly puzzled expression. She never felt that Seulgi was the type who would say that about love. If anything, she felt like the one who would love anyone and everyone freely, and not in a good way.

_'Well that's interesting'_ Joy thought as she kept her phone, continuing to look through the selection of clothes.

_'Where was it again'_ Seulgi thought as she entered the mall, looking around as something caught her eye.

_'Wendy?'_

As if she could hear her, Wendy turned to look at Seulgi, both of them making eye contact for a brief moment before Seulgi turned away. Fast.

_'OhgodohgodohgodohgodshelookedsocutebutwhydidIhavetoseeherhere'_ She thought as she made a beeline for the store, wanting to hide as fast as possible.

"Hey," Joy said as she grabbed her arm, stopping Seulgi in her tracks. "Where are you going? You were walking really fast just staring off into space"

"Huh? Oh, no, no reason, I just didn't notice the store was here" she said as she tried to compose herself, glancing down at herself. She was sweating, quite a lot. And it wasn't because of how fast she was walking. She could feel her heart pound fairly quickly. And that definitely wasn't because of how fast she was walking.

"Right, just try not to get caught by the cops," Joy joked as she handed her a small towel from her bag. "Anyway, today isn't about me. Or at least, not entirely. You need a change of clothes. Your style has been the same for the past few.....years," She said bluntly after looking her up and down.

"What's wrong with what I wear?" Seulgi asked as she wiped her sweat, wanting to question why she had a small towel in her bag.

"Nothing, it's just that it could be better," She said with a shrug. "You look like you just threw on the first thing you saw this morning"

"I did not do that," she said, knowing very well that's exactly what she did.

"Whatever you say, I know you hate trying on clothes, so I'm not telling you to try these on. Just go wear it" she said, shoving a bag with a turtleneck and a pair of cotton pants. "You complain about it being cold, but you don't bother dressing for cold weather? That's on you" she said as she turned her around and shoved her into the changing room.

A few minutes later, she was walking around with Seulgi, now dressed much better than whatever she was wearing before. Joy doesn't even want to talk about it.

"Right I'm done with this shopping mall, shall we head for another one?" Joy asked, already leading Seulgi to the entrance.

"I don't have a say in this, don't I?"

"No," She said as she dragged her out.

_'I wonder where Wendy is, I would love to see her again'_ Seulgi thought as she wistfully sighed. Internally of course.

"Speak of the devil," Wendy said as she appeared before Joy and Seulgi, Yeri beside her.

_'If there is a God, I really really hate them, but love them at the same time'_ Seulgi thought as she looked at Wendy.

"And what are you doing here?" Seulgi asked, already used to the tone of voice she used against her for the past few years.

"It's a public space, so I see no reason I can't be here," she replied as she held onto Yeri's arm, dragging her away. "I'm in a good mood, and I intend to keep it."

"Have fun, don't tire Yeri out by dragging her all over!" Joy called after her, trying to fix the atmosphere in her own way as she gently tugged Seulgi in the opposite direction.

_'She really hates me, doesn't she?'_ She thought with a small sigh.


	3. She hates me (Wendy's Side)

"Could you hurry up, you said you just wanted to check it out, not read the whole series in the store." Wendy sighed as she looked over Yeri who was busy reading a book from her favourite series.

"I will, I will, but I just never knew they had an official spin-off series" she replied as she looked up at her. "I'll be done in a few minutes, alright Wendy?" she said as she clasped her hands together, looking at her with wide eyes.

"Fine, I'll be waiting outside," she said as she pinched her cheek. "And never call me Wendy, I'm serious," she added as she walked out, scrolling through her phone as she leaned against the wall.

 _'If only Irene were here, I'd at least have someone to spend time with'_ She thought as she sighed.

 _'Someone to spend time with...'_ She looked up from her phone as someone grabbed her attention from the corner of her eye.

 _'Seulgi?'_ She thought, her heart skipping a beat as she turned to look at her, making brief eye contact with her.

She was about to wave, completely on instinct, completely on the want to talk to her, completely on the idea of being with her, but she suddenly turned away. Fast.

Seeing her turn away so quickly only reminded her of the nature of their relationship.

And that broke her heart.

 _'Of course'_ she thought as she clenched her fist, bringing her hand back down as she blinked back the tears that threatened to spill.

"Hey, you alright?" Yeri said as she suddenly appeared beside her, a tissue in hand.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Just some dust in my eye" she said, using the classic lie as she took the tissue from her, wiping her eyes before looking at Yeri. "Boba?"

"You're treating," Yeri said as she poked her shoulder, dragging her away.

A few minutes later, they both had their drinks, Wendy's mind still replaying the sight of Seulgi turning away from her so quickly. She'd seen Seulgi hate her for so many times, using harsh words and harsh actions, but seeing her turn away from her like that. That wasn't harsh to her.

That was cold.

"Hey, I found the bookstore that sells the spin-off series, along with some other works from the author, wanna drop by?" Yeri piped up as they walked, her feet ever so slightly leading her to the entrance.

"Yeah, sure" she replied, her tone completely deadpan as she followed her along.

"What's wrong?" Yeri asked, concerned for her friend's mood, but also excited she agreed so readily.

"Nothing, I just saw Seulgi just now and—" she said as she stopped dead in her tracks.

"Speak of the devil," Wendy said as she appeared before Joy and Seulgi.

 _'Ohgodofgodswhydidyougivethiswomansuchgoodlooks_ _'_ She thought as she looked at Seulgi, subtly eyeing her up and down in her new outfit. Definitely different from what she was used to, but definitely looked good on her all the same.

"And what are you doing here?" Seulgi asked, her tone cold as always.

"It's a public space, so I see no reason I can't be here," she replied as she held onto Yeri's arm, dragging her away. "I'm in a good mood, and I intend to keep it."

"Have fun, don't tire Yeri out by dragging her all over!" Joy said cheerfully.

 _'It's the exact opposite Joy'_ Wendy thought as she looked back, seeing Seulgi follow Joy along as she sighed.

"Seulgi looked pretty nice," Yeri commented to Wendy, part of her wondering why did she say that, and the other part of her interested in what she'd say in return.

"Yeah, she did look pretty nice," Wendy absentmindedly replied, her mind still thinking of Seulgi before realising what she said. "But then again, but then she looks like she always does, there's no point in changing her clothes if she still looks like she always does!" she stammered as she tried her best to cover up what she said.

"What," Yeri said in response, unable to grasp what Wendy was feeling at that point in time. "That's the first time you ever complimented her, good on you. Maybe you guys might make up by graduation" she said as she gave her a firm pat on her shoulder.

 _'Oh right, graduation'_ She thought as she sighed wistfully.

 _'She really hates me, doesn't she?'_ She thought with a small sigh.


	4. You fill my head

"HEY!" Yeri yelled as she slammed her hands onto Wendy's desk, causing her to jump.

"What the fuck Yeri!" Wendy yelled back in shock as she glared at her.

"You alright? You were distracted and sighing nearly every minute during class just now," Yeri asked as she took a seat beside her, gently holding her shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine, just a little stressed, that's all," Wendy replied as she sighed for approximately the thousandth time today.

"You're rarely this stressed about examinations, and judging by the way you were sighing, is it love problems?" Yeri asked teasingly, gently nudging her side.

"What are you talking about, of course not!" Wendy retorted, her conscience pricked by her question.

In truth, it was love problems, ever since seeing Seulgi at the shopping mall, her mind has been haunted by the image of her disappearing before her.

Constantly walking away from her, no longer bothering to argue with her.

No longer wanting to see her.

Why?

"It's love-related problems, isn't it?" Yeri teased in a sing-song tone as she poked her shoulder repeatedly, desperately wanting the details on who she could love. Wendy wasn't the type of person to go out with people. Yeri had been her classmate for years, and she'd always see suitors get turned down almost immediately by her. No guy ever even had a vague answer like 'I'll think about it'. Just instantly shot down without a second thought, so seeing someone who could get her this flustered and distracted was a sight to behold, and something she was interested in.

"N–" Wendy said, clenching her fists tightly out of nervousness as she looked at Yeri, her worries melting away as she sighed. "Y–yes, it is. It's not like me, is it? I've been thinking about–" she said as she relaxed her fists, still mildly nervous as she turned to look at her lap. "–them a lot lately, and I'm not sure why. I'm interested in them, and they didn't exactly turn me down, but recently, they've been a little more–harsh? I guess that's a way to put it," she explained as Seulgi's name and face filled her mind.

"I'm pretty sure they don't like me in return, so I always tried to maintain my distance and just be in their presence, but they did something that seemed harsh to me. I might be overthinking about it, but seeing them do that was just painful, but I love them so much, and I never did anything to S–" she continued, her voice quivering ever so slightly as tears started to drip onto her again-clenched fists.

"BREATHE," Yeri said loudly, stopping her words as she held her shoulders firmly. "IT'SNOTLIKEYOUTOCRYLIKETHISSOTAKEADEEPBREATHANDCALMDOWN" she continued loudly, giving her shoulders a gentle squeeze.

She jolted slightly, her ears turning red as she realised what she just said, quickly wiping her tears away as she took a deep breath. "Thanks, thanks for that," Wendy mumbled as she took another deep breath, calming the emotions that filled her mind. Although they were quickly replaced by mild panic. She nearly said Seulgi, she nearly told her best friend she loved the one who hates her guts the most. What if she told her? What if SHE told HER?

"Feeling better?" Yeri asked as she handed her a tissue, patting her back gently.

"Yeah, I just needed to get it off my chest, I guess," Wendy said, wiping her eyes properly as she sniffed.

"I don't know who it is, but I can tell you're pretty head over heels for her, so just relax and remember what she means to you, alright?" Yeri said as she rubbed her back. "I'll go get you some milk, don't worry about it alright?" she offered as she stood up, making her way out of their classroom.

She should be calm, and she is. Something just didn't sit too right with Wendy. She was pretty sure she referred to Seulgi as 'them' as she was venting to her, but did Yeri say 'her'?

As **Y** **eri** made her way towards the canteen, she pulled out her phone and texted _Irene_.

**I think I just learnt some forbidden knowledge.**

_Yeah?_

_I think so too._

**You already know I learnt forbidden knowledge?**

_No dumbass._

_I think I learnt forbidden knowledge too._

_What's yours?_

**No way I'm telling you before you tell me.**

**Text it at the same time?**

_Sure._

**I think Wendy likes Seulgi.**   
_I think Seulgi likes Wendy._

"What the fuck yooooooooo–" Yeri whispered as she looked around, extremely entertained by what's happening here.

**omg**

_Well, that's gonna be fucking awkward for them._

_Should we tell them or_

**I don't think so.**

**I think they should figure it out on their own?**

**Plus you know Joy.**

**She'd be pretty pissed if we didn't let emotions flow naturally.**

_Yeah, you're right._

_I think so too._

_Let's just assume this conversation never happened_

_And pretend we don't know._

**Do I have to pretend like I don't know this?**

_Did she explicitly tell you she liked Seulgi?_

**Well no**

**But she was talking to me about her but referred to her as 'them' the whole time.**

**But she accidentally let slip the first syllable.**

**And Seulgi fit the description the best, honestly.**

**I might have also said 'her' when referring to the one she was talking to**

_Well, Seulgi didn't explicitly tell me it was Wendy either._

_So we can only assume it's them_

_Just pretend like you made a mistake or something_

_You know_

_Like parents when they call their son 'her' or their daughter 'him'_

_And pretend this conversation never happened._

**Deleting it now.**

She quickly deleted their conversation about the two's feelings for each other, still reeling from shock as she stood in the middle of the canteen, trying to process what's going on with them. "Oh this is gonna make for a great story," She mumbled as she bought a carton of milk, making her way back to Wendy.


	5. You fill my heart

Seulgi wasn't the type of person to be calm about things. Despite her cold and cool disposition that she displayed to everyone, she was an emotional person, and often finds herself overthinking about many things. Many, many things. Stuff that didn't even directly affect her would fill her head with 'what if' and 'why not', and would easily distract her, even if she knew very well she was being distracted. With their finals coming up, she was clearly worried about them, but she was more concerned about Wendy. What if she never told Wendy she loved her? What if she did? There's no way their relationship could extend beyond their school life, given how much Wendy seems to hate her guts. And every single fibre of her being was torn apart between accepting their situation and changing their relationship. To her, a confession would absolutely destroy their relationship and dynamic, but maybe she won't be so cold towards her anymore?

 _'But she'd be creeped out, no, she'd definitely be creeped out. You've told yourself this for years, for every single time you've had these thoughts in your head. She would never accept you for who you are, because it's me'_ Seulgi thought, her feet leading her aimlessly through the hallways as she sighed, her bag feeling heavier than usual.

She rubbed her head in frustration as she felt so conflicted. She didn't want to ruin their dynamic. The way things are, Wendy could still put up with her. She could still see her. But her feelings for her were growing. Day by day, every hour, every second. It felt like they were bursting from her heart, but her mind held her back. Her incessant questions about her decision were tearing her apart.

And sometimes when we have questions, we find someone to confide in. Someone we trust. Like our parents.

"Irene?" Seulgi asked as she poked her head through her classroom doorway, spotting Irene in the corner doing her work.

Or at least a friend who nags like one.

"What is it this time Seulgi? I have a lot of work to do, and you should too. Finals are coming up and you know how I feel about my grades." Irene sighed, not bothering to look up as she used her foot to nudge the chair in front of her.

Seulgi shuffled over as she plopped onto the chair, placing her bag on the ground beside her as she rested her forehead on the edge of Irene's desk. "I have a problem," she said as she looked up at her, "and I think I can trust you with it."

"Do I have to do any physical labour?" She asked as she glanced at her for a moment before returning her focus to the book on her desk.

"No, none at all, I just need a second opinion on something," Seulgi said, straightening up as she sighed. "About love," she said, determinedly clenching her fists.

"And what makes you think I'm the one to get a second opinion from?" She asked, still not looking up at her.

"I'm not sure, I was so distracted the entire day, and I just wanted to talk to someone and you were the first one that came to mind," She explained as she looked at her.

"Are you hitting on me?"

"What? No!"

"I'm kidding, now what is it?"

"I've liked this person. I still like this person a lot, but I'm afraid of whether they'll accept me if I suddenly tell them that I like them. You know that I'm not affectionate, so I don't exactly show my feelings to others that easily. I'm pretty sure they don't like me back, but I don't really mind, I just feel like my feelings have been boiling over recently, and I feel like I'm going to explode if I don't do anything soon, and–" Seulgi said, clenching her fists nervously as Irene interrupted her, closing her book, finally looking at her in the eye.

"How do you feel about her? Do you want her to know that you love her?" She asked, resting her chin on her hand.

"W–well, yeah," she mumbled, looking down as she answered before looking up at her, "but–"

"Zp–" Irene shushed her, mimicking a zipper as she looked at her, "you wanted my second opinion, and this is my second opinion. Just tell her. If she reciprocates your feelings, it's great. If not, you can move on. At least you managed to get the weight off your chest."

"Of course, it's fine if you don't confess, I understand how you feel, but it'd be a shame if you never told her. I can tell that you love her very much. Don't you?" she continued as she packed her bag, standing up as she slung her bag over her shoulder.

"I do," Seulgi replied, nodding her head as she looked at her. "Thank you, for helping me out," she said as she stood up as well, her posture and disposition more relaxed than before.

"Great, I'll see you tomorrow then," Irene said as she walked for the door.

"Also–" Seulgi said as she realised something. "What do you mean by 'her'? I never said 'her' to you," Seulgi continued as she looked at her, clearly very concerned that she accidentally let slip her crush on Wendy.

"Hm? It was just a guess. You've never felt this way about any guy you've met, but you're rather interested in girls, aren't you?" Irene asked as she looked back at her, waving as she left the room.

"Yeah, yeah, I guess," Seulgi said as she relaxed slightly, taking a deep breath as she left the room as well.

As she walked back home, Irene pulled her phone out and started texting Yeri. The conversation they had was interesting, and Irene was looking forward to seeing how the relationship between Wendy and Seulgi would develop.

"I'm home," Irene called as she opened her apartment door, taking off her shoes.

"Hey sis, how was school?" A male voice said as he popped his head out of his room.

"The only interesting thing was my friend asking me for relationship advice," she said as she took off her bag, flopping on the couch.

"Asking you for relationship advice?" he asked teasingly as he raised an eyebrow.

"Fuck off Ian," Irene said as she threatened to throw a pillow at him. "Besides, I personally think I've helped her out."

"Of course you did," Ian said as he rolled his eyes. "And what poor soul did you give advice to?" he asked as he leaned on the back of the couch.

"Seulgi, but you won't know her," Irene said as she stood up, stretching as she looked at her brother.

"Actually, I do."

"You do?"


	6. Revelations

"Wait a minute, back it up a little. You know Seulgi? My friend, whom I've never introduced to you?" Irene asked Ian, looking at him with a confused expression.

"Seulgi isn't a common name, and she should be around the same age as you, meaning she's around the same age as me, since I've been your twin since we were born," he explained as he looked up in thought, "It was before we got into college. I had a crush on this girl called Seungwan, or Wendy, but she hated being called Wendy," he said as Irene grabbed his shoulders.

"You know Seungwan?" Irene asked in disbelief, mildly frustrated that her brother never told her about it before.

"Yeah I know her, they were both in my class. You wouldn't know because you don't exactly care about these things unless people tell you about them," Ian said, grabbing his sister's arms and pulling them off his shoulders.

"How did you put up with them?" Irene asked, genuinely respecting her brother for putting up with their arguments.

"What do you mean 'put up with them'? Those two are close as hell and didn't bother other people" Ian scoffed in disbelief, rolling his eyes at his sister's stupid question.

"Wait, they're close?"

"Yeah, of course, they're close. They were best friends, you would rarely see one of them without the other."

"What happened?" Irene asked inquisitively, genuinely curious as to their complicated relationship.

"What do you mean 'what happened'? It's been years since I've seen either of them. I didn't exactly catch up with them ever since I confessed to Seungwan, which did not go well," Ian said, his ears turning red after remembering that incident.

"They hate each other's guts now, or at least I think they do. It's complicated right now but something happened between then and them entering college," Irene mused, mostly to herself as she tried to come up with reasons.

"Well, I might have been the reason for one of their arguments, but I hope that's not the reason why, because if so, they need some help. It's been years since the incident," Ian said sheepishly, his ears turning redder as his past came back to haunt him terribly.

"Tell me about it," Irene demanded, her eyes burning through him as she looked–or rather glared at him.

"Well, I confessed to Wendy in private after we graduated, but Seulgi was listening in. Or maybe accidentally heard it. She was at the wrong place at the wrong time. She suddenly got emotional and angry at Wendy, and Wendy was furious at Seulgi. They then stormed away and I've never seen them since. I hear from our old friends that they've never been seen together ever since, but I'm not entirely sure about that myself." Ian explained, immediately telling everything he knew.

"I see," Irene said simply as she stood up. "Go buy dinner, I'll be in my room."

 _'Why is it me again?'_ Ian wanted to lament but quickly changed his mind after seeing the expression his sister wore as she took her bag, going into her bedroom as he quietly stuffed his wallet and the apartment keys into his pocket as he walked out.

_Irene_ sighed as she flopped on her desk, starting a group chat with **Yeri** and _**Joy.**_

_Big news_

_**What is it** _

_**That you had to make a new group chat** _

_Apparently, Seul and Wannie were best friends?_

**Wait, best friends**

**Are you kidding**

**No way**

_**Nice jokes Irene** _

_No seriously_

_I'm having trouble wrapping my head around it too_

_Trust me_

**How would you know**

_My brother was classmates with them_

**_Ian?_ **

_Do you know any other brothers that I have_

_**Fair** _

_**But does he know what happened to them** _

**Yeah**

**Also, what were they like**

**When they were best friends**

_They were inseparable apparently_

_**No fucking way** _

**That's a very hard thing to believe**

_Right?_

_Anyway, my brother might be the cause that they're enemies right now_

_**Wow** _

**Get his ass**

**We have to deal with shit that he started?**

_**Yeah what the hell** _

_It's not his fault_

_At least it doesn't feel like that_

_He confessed his feelings to Wannie but Seul got mad._

_And then Wannie got mad as well_

**Isn't that his fault for confessing**

_**It doesn't sound like it now that I hear about it** _

_Right?_

_I think this is all just one_

_Massive miscommunication between them_

_**But why though** _

_**They were best friends, right?** _

_**It's not like they had something so secretive they couldn't share it** _

_**Like they're part of the mafia** _

_LOL_

_**Or they loved each other or something** _

**Uh**

_Uh_

_**Wait they do** _

_WE THINK THEY DO_

_WE HAVE NO PROOF_

_**YO, THAT'S FUCKING–** _

_**YO** _

**We were gonna tell you our theory but we know how you feel about natural emotions**

**_I mean_ **

**_I care about them_ **

**_But this sounds like some K-Drama shit_ **

_Yeah_

_**Anyway, I guess miscommunication about their true feelings lead to this** _

**We can try to nudge them**

_**I'd rather not** _

_So we stay quiet?_

_**For now** _

_**I'm not exactly happy about their situation** _

_**But I think they'll work it out** _

_**Also, how did you know that they love each other** _

_**Or at least like each other** _

**Wendy was overthinking about her feelings and vented to me**

**She sounded really**

**Pessimistic?**

_Seul consulted me about her feelings_

_She sounded more optimistic_

_I didn't hear anything about Wendy and Yeri's conversation_

**Same**

**_Seulgi is more concerned about their relationship's future_ **

**_Wendy is more concerned about the past._ **

**_This could end badly or it could end like a fairy tale_ **

_**We'll see how it goes** _

**I can't wait**

_You enjoy their bickering don't you_

**Well yeah**

**It's entertaining**

**But it'll be more entertaining to see them together**

_**Weirdo** _

**It's like watching a drama even though it makes you sad.**

**You enjoy it if it has a good ending**

**But you don't mind if it's sad along the way**

****_I guess I understand that_

**_Weirdo_ **

**_I'm gonna go study_ **

**_See ya tomorrow_ **

**Study?**

**For what**

_The finals?_

_They're in two weeks_

**Oh**

_**You've been studying right?** _

**Uh**

_Right???_

**I'm gonna go study**

_Jesus Christ_

_I'm gonna go study too_

**_Remember to not raise this to them_ **

**Sure**

_Got it_


	7. No matter what, I will always love you

**_Flashback_ **

"Hey Seulgi," Wendy asked as she looked down at her, Seulgi resting her head on her lap.

"Hm?" She hummed as she turned to look up at her.

"Do–do you have a crush on someone?" Wendy asked, trying to make it sound as nonchalant as possible.

 _'You. It's always been you. It will always be you. But I can't tell you that. What if things go south? It's weird for two girls to like each other right? I don't want to risk losing you. But you won't believe it if I said no one. You'd press me for an answer, wouldn't you?'_ Seulgi thought as she stroked her chin.

"Ian," she said, giving the name of the first boy she could think of. He's attractive and nice, so it wouldn't be weird to like him.

 _'Of course. It couldn't be you. It's not natural for girls to like girls, she likes someone else. It's just the way things are meant to be.'_ Wendy thought as she squeezed Seulgi's cheeks. "Ooh, my best friend is in love~" she cooed teasingly, tickling her sides.

_'But I'm in love with you though. If only I could tell you'_

"Hey Seulgi, have you confessed?" Wendy asked, leaning her head on her shoulder.

"To?" Seulgi asked, already forgotten the answer she gave a few weeks back.

"Ian, of course," Wendy said, a forced laugh leaving her as she mentioned his name.

"Oh, right. No, no I haven't," she said, her ears turning red as she realised the hole she dug herself into.

"You should do it soon, you know? We're gonna graduate and head for college soon," Wendy said as she nudged her side, trying her best to stay positive about this.

"I'll do it after graduation," Seulgi said, trying to buy as much time as she could, "besides, I don't have any experiences in confessing to people. I won't do it so quickly."

"Practice in a mirror? I've heard that helps," Wendy suggested, sighing internally as she turned to look at her.

"No way, it's so embarrassing to practice in a mirror. At least for me," Seulgi said, visibly shuddering at her suggestion.

"Then practice on me."

"What?"

"Practice on me," Wendy said again.

_'What am I talking about? Am I insane? There's no way she's gonna think this is normal! I've messed up big time. I gotta come up with an excu–'_

"Sure," Seulgi said as she took Wendy's hands in her own hands gently.

"Eh?" Wendy said, out loud. In pure disbelief and shock.

"I like you, I've liked you for a long time, and I want to try and further our relationship," Seulgi said as she looked Wendy in the eye.

_'WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVE NO EXPERIENCE? KANG SEULGI, DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING TO ME!'_

"Yeah, this is even weirder," Seulgi said as she quickly let go of Wendy's hands, standing up as she looked around. "Let's head home. It's getting dark."

 _'WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING! YOU COULD'VE DID SOMETHING YOU REGRETTED!'_ Seulgi screamed at herself internally, thankful that her red ears couldn't be seen easily.

"Yeah, yeah, sure," Wendy said, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

 _'Of course she thinks it's weird. Why did I even suggest that? It just ended up making her uncomfortable and you just hurt yourself in the end.'_ Wendy thought.

 _'I wish I could've told you more. How soft your hands were. How you look whenever you get competitive. The glimmer in your eyes when you see the cute puppies in the park. Your sense of justice and your ability to step up when I couldn't. The way your voice cracks when you get nervous. I love everything about you, and I will love everything about you that is to come.'_ Seulgi thought, mildly happy that she managed to get a tiny weight off her chest.

_'No matter what happens. I will always love everything about you'_

"H–hey, Wendy," Ian whispered as he tapped her shoulder from behind.

"Yes?" Wendy said, turning around to see Ian. "Oh hey there Ian, how's it going? I heard Seulgi is looking for you," she said, trying to sound as cheerful as she could. Seulgi wasn't actually looking for him, but she wanted her to get it over with. She wanted to go home and not have to think about Seulgi. They'd already graduated. Seulgi was going to confess to Ian, Ian would accept Seulgi.

Seulgi would never be hers.

But that's alright.

As long as she's happy.

"I'll keep it quick, but could we find somewhere private?" Ian asked, a fierce determination in his eyes.

"Alright," Wendy said as she sighed. "But only 5 minutes. I want to take a picture with my parents," she said as she looked around. "Follow me, I know a classroom that isn't used," she continued as she gestured him to follow, going to a nearby classroom not too far from the graduation event.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Wendy asked as she turned around to look at Ian, mildly annoyed that she had to even look at him. Not that she hated him. It's just that his existence had a negative connotation to her.

"Uh, well, I wanted to talk to you about–" he started before slapping his cheeks, taking a deep breath. "I like you, as more than a friend," he said, looking at her as his expression softened, clearly embarrassed at what he just said.

"What?" Wendy asked, more in disbelief than anything.

"I like you, as more than a friend, and I want to develop a relationship with you, and I hope you'll give me the chance to," he said, squinting his eyes shut as he repeated his confession one more time, taking a deep bow, both out of politeness and embarrassment.

"W-well, I like you too–" Wendy began, trying to find the words to reply to his sudden confession.

"What?" Seulgi's voice said, her tone cold and distant as she stood in the doorway of the classroom they were in.

"Seulgi?" Wendy jumped at the sound of her voice, panic taking over as she saw the expression on her face. "What are you doing here?" she asked as Ian straightened up, backing away instinctively as he saw the expression of anger on Seulgi's face.

"What do you mean "What am I doing here?", you asked me to meet you here after the graduation ceremony, or did you just want to act dumb and make me watch this sappy scene?" she asked as she clenched her fists.

 _'Nononono, stop right now and calm down, it's just a misunderstanding. There's no way. But, she thinks I like Ian, and now she's trying to take him away? I don't even like him, but why did she ask me to come here?'_ Seulgi's thoughts echoed uselessly in the back of her head, anger and disappointment filling her mind as she glared at Wendy.

"I told you I liked Ian, and you asked me to come here and watch you confess to him?" She yelled at Wendy, taking deep breaths as she tried to calm herself.

"She didn't conf–" Ian started, trying to defuse the situation as best and as fast as he could.

"Shut up, I don't want to hear it," Seulgi said, her tone filled with disgust as she glared at him.

"Don't talk to him like that, it's not his fault," Wendy said, her tone getting slightly more aggressive to combat Seulgi's as she took his arm, gently pulling him back.

 _'Oh, so you care for him now?'_ The anger in her head yelled as she clenched her teeth.

"So it's your fault then?" Seulgi asked mockingly as she glared at Wendy.

 _'Don't look at me like that. Please.'_ Wendy's thoughts whispered as she looked at Seulgi.

"Look, we can talk this out, it's just a misunderstanding," Wendy said as she stepped towards Seulgi, gently placing her hands on her shoulders.

 _'Don't touch me'_ The rage said in disgust as it festered in her mind, hot tears filling up her eyes.

"The only misunderstanding here is believing you were my best friend," Seulgi said as she shrugged her hands off roughly, shoving Wendy onto the floor.

 _'Nononononononononono, stop it right now, stop right now and help her up before it's too late. You can still save the situa_ – _'_ Seulgi thought as she looked down at Wendy with a distant expression.

 _'Too late'_ The jealousy in her heart whispered.

The emotions that Seulgi feels are strong. That may be a good thing, or it could be a bad thing. In this case, it was the cause of the destruction of everything the two shared until now. Only a minute, a single minute of seeing Wendy with someone else, and the jealousy, the rage, the sheer amount of hatred festered in her heart and grew exponentially. But the regret she felt as she saw herself act on her jealousy, grew much faster. She knew that if she had calmed down and listened, things might have been fine. But she didn't. She knew this was her fault. It was her fault that their relationship had been destroyed. The three words she said to her, with the utmost disgust towards herself for saying them in the first place, made her wish she could turn back time, but it was too late. There was no going back.

"I hate you," she said, her expression filled with disgust.

The emotions that Wendy feels are calm. That may be a good thing, or it could be a bad thing. In this case, it completely reshaped her outlook on life. Had the situation been reversed, Seulgi might have fought back, she would have fought back. Everything might still be fine. But not now. Her calm emotions accepted that it was her fault. It was her fault that their relationship had been destroyed. The three words that she heard from her, with the utmost sincerity, made her accept that this was the way things were now. There was no going back.

"I hate you too," Wendy said, glaring up at her as she held back the tears that threatened to spill.

"Then we're on the same page," Seulgi said, her heart aching as she looked at Wendy, hearing the words that she said to her in the first place as she turned and left the room.

_'But I could never hate you, never in my lifetime, never in all eternity.'_

_'No matter what, I will always love you.'_


	8. Big Mistake

"Just go away already, we hate each other right? Why bother even looking at each other anymore?" Wendy said to Seulgi, a disgusted expression plastered on her face as she shoved Seulgi away.

Seulgi felt her heart skip a beat, her sense of time seemingly slowed down as she felt like she fell forever.

 _'No. No. Please. I'm sorry'_ Seulgi wanted to say, the words seemingly jammed in her throat as she felt her tears flow down her cheeks.

"No!" Seulgi yelled out as she jolted up in bed, her sweat cold as she looked around her bedroom, clutching her bedsheets as she touched her cheeks, her tears unknowingly flowing as she wiped them away.

It had been years since the incident, and Seulgi had never had any nightmares as terrible as this. As horrifying as this. Until now of course. Her emotions were ready to burst, her heart was screaming at her every second of the day, her feelings were begging to be released. The chat she had with Irene helped, but only temporarily. Telling someone you like a certain person is a good way to get it off your chest, but the emotions are still pent-up. Removing the lid from a boiling pot helps it to release steam, but if the flames aren't turned off, they will continue to boil. And it'll eventually boil over.

It was time for school, time for another day of playing this game of charades.

"Hey Seulgi, you alright?"Joy asked, packing her bags as the rest of their classmates started streaming out of the room, various exclamations about the weekend and laments about the finals being heard.

"Yeah, I'm just tired," She said as she stood up, pushing her chair in as she started for the door, but was stopped as Joy tugged on her sleeve.

"Not so fast, Irene wants to meet us," Joy said as she pulled Seulgi under her arm, making sure she doesn't bolt off.

"All of us?" She asked in an annoyed tone.

"All of us."

As they walked to Irene's classroom down the hall, Seulgi just trudged along with Joy, letting her guide her as she felt as if her entire body was going to explode. She needed to get her emotions out, fast. She was hoping the final exams would distract her enough, but it did not.

As the two of them entered Irene's classroom, Joy let go of Seulgi as she shuffled over to her usual position on the wall, placing her bag between her legs as she leaned against it. "So what is it this time? If I'm going to end up babysitting Joy, please count me out." Seulgi said, wanting to go home as soon as possible.

"Just go babysit her again if she needs it, it's not like you have a choice," Irene said as she brushed her aside quickly. "No, this is about our final exams. Does anyone want to study together? We all have our specialisations except for Yeri–" she explained as she looked at Yeri as she said her name.

"Fuck you"

"–so I was hoping we could help each other out," Irene suggested as she looked at her friends.

"I don't mind, I can use the help too," Yeri said, agreeing to her suggestion despite being insulted less than 5 seconds ago.

"If Yeri's studying, we literally cannot disagree," Joy said as she shrugged, earning her an eye roll from the petite girl.

"Yeah, sure," Wendy said, her head buried in her arms as she rested on Irene's desk, waving her hand dismissively.

"Fine," Seulgi said as she picked up her bag. "Is that all? My head kinda hurts, and I want to get some rest during the weekend–" she said as she glanced at the doorway, her fist clenching around her bag strap as she glared at him.

"And what are you doing here?" Seulgi said as she looked at Ian.

"Uh–I'm here to meet Irene, we have plans for dinner," Ian said, panicking as he recognised the expression that made him cower so many years back.

"Aren't you supposed to be with Wendy?" She asked mockingly as she looked at her, Wendy now sitting up straight as she looked away from Seulgi.

 _'Not again'_ Seulgi thought as the jealousy that destroyed everything started festering and boiling over again, determining her actions that she knows she's going to regret.

"Or did you come here to do another confession in front of me?" Seulgi asked as she snapped her attention back to Ian, her fists clenching as she gritted her teeth.

"Wait, Se–" Yeri started, stopped by Irene and Joy as they both shook their heads.

"Don't," Joy whispered as she held Yeri's shoulder.

"Did you come to mock me again? You son of a bitch!" Seulgi yelled as she grabbed her bag tightly, her anger fuelling her to hurl her bag at him, only for Wendy to grab her wrist and stop her.

"Of course, how could I forget? You care for him too much to let anyone hurt him right?" Seulgi said as she roughly pulled her wrist away from Wendy.

"Shut up," Wendy said coldly, Seulgi now realising the fierce glare she had, the same glare she wore herself when it all started.

"What?" Seulgi asked, both taken aback, and deeply saddened as she looked at her.

"I said shut up, that's the one thing you can't do, isn't it?" Wendy asked as she looked up at her, her eyes no longer gentle and accepting of what is to come.

Calm feelings, mere acceptance of everything is a trait some people have, but that doesn't mean they will accept everything. Sometimes they choose to do so to avoid conflict, sometimes they choose to accept everything to avoid other people getting hurt. But that doesn't mean they must accept everything. The repression of the guilt Wendy had was instantly replaced by frustration and annoyance towards Seulgi. If Seulgi had just shut up and listened all those years ago, she wouldn't have to suffer every single day being hated by her. She wouldn't have to suffer every single day without her.

She wouldn't have to suffer every single day without her best friend, and the one she loves.

"You're asking me to shut up? If that bastard kept his mouth shut all those years ago–" Seulgi said, heavily interrupted as Wendy slapped her.

"You still don't get it, do you? Did you want me to beat some sense into you until you understand?" Wendy said, her heart aching as she looked at Seulgi, tears welling up in her eyes. "If you had shut up and listened all those years ago. If you had shut up and listened to me. I wouldn't have had to suffer every single day since then whenever I look at you. I've always told myself it's my fault. I've always blamed myself every single day, but now I realise it's not my fault. It's your fault that you couldn't stop yourself and listen for two seconds. It's your fault that I had to live without you. It's your fault that I had to live without the one I–" Wendy said, her heart releasing all the pent-up frustration she felt as she bit her lip, grabbing her bag and storming out of the room.

 _'The one you what???'_ Irene, Joy and Yeri thought silently as they looked at Ian, nodding towards Seulgi.

 _'You want me to deal with this?'_ Ian thought as he gestured towards himself, then to Seulgi and the door.

 _'Do it'_ Irene thought as she glared at him, Ian immediately accepting his task.

"H–hey Seulgi," Ian said as he pulled up a chair, still very cautious about approaching her as he gently held her shoulders, Seulgi not wanting to look up as she took a seat opposite him, slumping over.

"Look, I know we weren't on the best of terms, and I know a few years later isn't the best time to settle something, but I hope you'll listen," Ian said as he gestured to the trio, requesting that they take their leave as he was left alone with a depressed Seulgi.

"Well," he started as he cleared his throat, "first of all, I was the one who confessed to Wendy, and Wendy was trying to let me down, but you were listening in at the wrong time."

"What?" Seulgi finally croaked, breaking her silence as she looked up at Ian, tears streaming down her cheeks as she wiped them away.

Even though it's uncomfortable to be in the presence of someone whom you don't know crying, seeing Seulgi like that gave Ian a small sense of calmness, that Seulgi needed this for a long time.

"She didn't want to go out with me. She didn't even know who I was until you told her you liked me," Ian said, his voice calm as he looked at her with a smile.

"I didn't really like you, I was just–" Seulgi started, sitting up straight as she got flustered.

"Trying to cover up the fact that you liked Wendy?" Ian asked bluntly.

Even though she wanted to say 'no', her heart ached as he mentioned her name, making her nod unknowingly as she felt her tears well up again.

"We're not on the best of terms, and we never were. But you were best friends with Wendy right? You can still make things right, so tell her how you feel. It doesn't have to be today, it doesn't have to be tomorrow, but you don't have much time until graduation right?" Ian asked, his tone gentle as he looked down, "I liked Wendy, but she made it clear she didn't like me. But trust me when I say she cares about you, you were her best friend, and she was devastated having to hear you say you hate her."

"I know..." Seulgi choked out as she blinked her tears back, burying her face in her hands as the regret came crashing down on her, overwhelming her as she sobbed uncontrollably.

 _'You were devastated to hear her say she hates you too right?'_ Ian thought as he gently rubbed Seulgi's back, trying his best to comfort her as his eyes met his sister's.

 _'Please help me I have no idea what to do'_ Ian's eyes begged as Irene walked over, gently hugging Seulgi as Ian quietly took his leave.

_'I was devastated, knowing that I'll be living my life without you, my one true love.'_

_"Hey Wendy, you alright?" Ian asked as he helped Wendy to her feet, trying his best to comfort her after the scene he just witnessed._

_"Yeah, I'm fine," Wendy mumbled quietly as she got to her feet, looking down as the two of them stood in the empty classroom, the tension from what happened between Seulgi and Wendy still present in the air._

_"Hey, look, this probably isn't the best time to talk about what we were talking about. I can treat you to some ice-cream if that'll make you feel better," Ian suggested, trying to defuse the awkwardness as he placed his hand on her shoulder._

_"I'm sorry Ian, I didn't really know you until Seulgi told me she liked you, so I'm not that close with you. Even if I were close with you, I already love someone else," Wendy explained as she sniffed._

_"Oh? Then you should go tell him, it's already graduation. You won't have much time left. I pretty much accepted the fact that you weren't interested in me, but I just wanted to get it off my chest, you know?" Ian said cheerfully, trying to make her feel better._

_"What's the point?" Wendy asked as she looked at Ian for the first time since she got up._

_"They already hate me," she choked out as Ian finally saw the tears that streamed down her cheeks, his heart sinking at the realisation of what she meant._

_"I'm sorry," Ian said after a while, not knowing what to do as he awkwardly hugged her shoulders._

_"I could never hate her, never in a million years!" Wendy cried out, her regret overflowing as she sobbed into Ian's chest._

_"I know, I know," Ian said gently, patting her back as he let her release her emotions. He had no idea what to do, but he knew she was hurt. He knew she was devastated._

"You don't have much time left," Ian mumbled as he leaned against the doorway, quietly watching Seulgi sob in the comfort or Irene, Joy and Yeri, a familiar scene that he was in all those years ago.

_"But if you act within what little time you have left, I'm sure you will have all the time in the world with her.'_


	9. I'm sorry, I love you

Ever since that day, the nightmares that Seulgi experienced occurred more often, haunting her every single second she spent awake, haunting her every single second she spent asleep. She wanted to apologise to Wendy.

She needed to apologise to her.

But Wendy seemingly vanished, no one saw any trace of her ever since that day. Yeri said she rarely saw Wendy in class, only appearing now and then before quickly disappearing. Visits to her apartment only ended up in dead silence, pointless waiting and useless knocks. Any message to her was left unseen, every call refused.

The days without being able to see Wendy only made her more anxious, the desperation to see her again festering and eating away at her logical thoughts. She didn't know what to do anymore, she just wanted to see her.

The finals blew by without any incident, all of them doing well, but Wendy was still nowhere to be seen. She did sit for the exams, and Yeri did see her, but she always seemed to up and vanish before she could confront her.

It was hell for Seulgi. The original point of keeping up with this charade of hating her was so she could still see her and not creep her out. But there's no point now, is there? With their finals over, every second she spent was trying to contact Wendy or figuring out how to apologise to her. Every second became about her. Every second was hell.

Seconds turned to minutes, minutes turned to hours, hours to days, days to weeks.

It was time for graduation. an event that was supposed to commemorate their completion of college. It was to acknowledge what they've done.

But what has she done?

The graduation was a celebratory event, but Seulgi was solemn throughout the entire day, only thinking about Wendy. Wendy had to be here, right? She knew what to say, she's spent days coming up with exactly what to say, but she was afraid of what comes after. What next? She certainly had no idea, but despite being afraid, she didn't exactly dread it. She just wanted to see Wendy and apologise to her.

That's what everything had been about these past few weeks.

"Son Seung-wan," a voice said, grabbing Seulgi's attention and yanking it to the stage.

There she was.

She accepted her degree, snapped her photo.

And then she left.

That's it. She's gone.

There she goes.

"Aren't you going to go after her?" Yeri asked, nudging her side gently without looking at her.

"You already went up, right? Just go and find her," Irene said, handing her a rose from the bouquet she held in her hands.

"I–" Seulgi said, her feet frozen to the ground as she felt their hands grab her by the shoulders and waist.

"Just go find her already, she disappears if you don't manage to find her," Joy said as the three of them dragged and shoved her out of the hall.

"Remember what I said," Irene said as she nudged Seulgi forward.

_"How do you feel about her? Do you want her to know that you love her?"_

_"W–well yeah."_

The tiny exchange that Seulgi and Irene had echoed in her head as she felt her fingers clench tight around the rose, her feet propelling her off at a speed she found surprising.

It took her a moment for her to realise that she was dashing through the halls, her regret and love which seemed to always disagree with each other suddenly driving her body forwards, she didn't know where she was going, but she somehow knew exactly where to go.

A few seconds later, she saw the all-too-familiar back at the far end of the hallway.

She didn't even know what to say anymore, her feet bringing her closer to her.

Everything she wanted to say was–

What did she want to say?

Well, no time to think about that anymore.

She screeched to a halt behind her, her hand instinctively grabbing onto her shoulder as Wendy turned back, surprised as she looked at Seulgi

"W–what do you want?" Wendy asked, pulling her hand off her shoulder.

"I–" Seulgi panted, the words she planned all fading away as she looked at an annoyed Wendy, the words she wanted to say stuck in her throat as she gave her the rose wordlessly.

Wendy looked at her with a confused expression, taking the rose from her as she looked up at her.

"Just go away already, we hate each other right? Why bother even looking at each other anymore?" Wendy said to Seulgi, her expression indifferent as she reached out to push her away.

Her nightmare came true. The scene that haunted her every second of the day came true.

 _'Fuck that'_ Seulgi thought as she looked at Wendy. _'I've had this nightmare for weeks, and I always can't move. But not now.'_

She grabbed Wendy's wrist, maintaining her balance as she looked at her, still catching her breath as she pulled her into a hug. This felt nice.

"G–get off of me," Wendy said, clearly flustered as she held onto Seulgi's shoulders, pushing her back as she looked at her. "Did you hit your head or something? It's me, the one you hate?" Wendy asked, her entire body trembling as she looked away.

"No, you're not the one I hate," Seulgi blurted out.

 _'What am I saying? I can't just–'_ she thought as she sighed. _'Or maybe that's what I need to do?'_

"Never for a single day have I ever hated you. Never for a single second did I wish I wasn't with you," Seulgi said, the love she felt for her finally being let free, overflowing from her heart into her words as her arms wrapped around Wendy's waist.

"S–shut up," Wendy said as she clenched her fist, punching her shoulder as she bit her lower lip.

Seulgi winced in slight pain and surprise as she smiled. "I'm sorry, for all those years ago, and for the past few weeks. I've never meant to hurt you. I've never meant to make you mad. I–" Seulgi said, her entire body tensing as she sighed softly. "I've never meant to hate you, or to make you hate me."

"Please, shut up," Wendy repeated, softer this time as her punches weakened, her other hand gripping tight onto Seulgi's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, for not telling you the truth all those years ago," Seulgi said, taking a deep breath as her nervousness escalated exponentially. But not fast enough.

"I love you. I've always loved you, I'm sorry if you find it creepy or weird. I know you hate me. I know that it's my fault that you hate me. But I could never hate you, never in my lifetime," Seulgi said gently, tears welling up ever so slightly as a wave of relief washed over her.

"Why? Why can't you just shut up?" Wendy croaked as her fists dissolved, her hands holding onto her shoulders as she leaned her head against her chest. "I told myself that it was over, that it wasn't possible for you to not hate me anymore, and yet here you are. Telling me you love me?" Wendy said, her tears staining Seulgi's clothes.

"I'm sorry, someone told me that shutting up is the one thing I can't do," Seulgi chuckled as she hugged Wendy tightly, letting her cry into her.

"Do you know how long I've wanted to tell you that?" Wendy asked as she sniffed, burying her face into Seulgi's clothes, "Every single day when you talked to me in that cold tone, I've hated hearing it, I hated myself every single day because I always felt that it was my fault, and even after knowing it was your fault, I still couldn't bring myself to hate you."

"I've never hated you. I could never hate you. Because you're the one I love the most." Wendy said as she looked up at her, a soft smile on her lips.

At that point in time, both of them looked at each other, like they were the most precious persons in each other's lives, and they both fought back tears as a huge wave of relief washed over them, as the realisation hit.

The realisation that they could stop playing this game of charades.

The immense feeling of love for each other was set free, overflowing from their hearts as Seulgi held Wendy's shoulders, pressing her lips against hers, squeezing her eyes shut. Was she going too fast? Was it not the right time? She was nervous until she felt Wendy's grip on her clothes tighten, her hands trembling slightly as she felt her lips respond, the both of them sharing a tender kiss for a few seconds before pulling away to catch their breath, their cheeks and their ears burning red as they looked at each other.

"D–do you want to see the rest of them?" Seulgi asked, clearly flustered as she let go of Wendy.

"One more," Wendy said as she grabbed Seulgi's shoulders, her arms trembling, "I wasn't ready," She mumbled as she pressed her lips against Seulgi's once again, wrapping her arms around her neck as she felt Seulgi's back hit the lockers.

Seulgi responded the way she knew how to, wrapping her arms around Wendy's waist as she closed her eyes, pouring her passion and her love for her into their kiss, the both of them not caring about anything else as they indulged in each other.

"Not to interrupt a tender moment between you two," Irene said as the three of them watched the new couple make out in the hallway.

Hearing her voice dragged the two of them back down, both of their eyes popping open as they let go of each other, their cheeks discovering a deep shade of red as they looked at the trio.

"How long were you there?" Seulgi asked, rubbing her cheeks as she caught her breath.

"Long enough to know that you two are going out," Yeri said with a shrug, "So about two minutes? You've been making out for two minutes and we didn't want to interrupt whatever you two were doing, but being able to ignore our presence for two minutes is unbelievable."

"We–" Wendy started as she felt Seulgi hold her hand, clearly trembling as she looked at her then back to the three of them. "Yeah, we, we are going out," Wendy sheepishly announced to the three before she sighed. "I'm sorry the three of you had to put up with our childish fighting."

"It's fine to fight, as long as you make up." Joy said, scrolling through her phone, "Now I gotta buy the lottery, I did not expect the two of you to even make up, let along make out with each other."

"Please stop saying 'make out'" Seulgi and Wendy said at the same time.

"Alright, I did not expect the two of you to get handsy with each other."

"Not that either," they said as they wanted to hide their faces.

"Alright, let's stop teasing them. It's graduation day, and I still haven't gotten a picture with my best friends," Irene said as she gripped Joy's shoulder, pulling Yeri to them as they stood in front of the pair, Irene handing Joy her phone.

 _'Yeah, yeah we were best friends'_ Seulgi thought as she gently interlocked her fingers with Wendy's.

 _'But I could never mind being more than that'_ Wendy smiled as Joy took a picture of the five of them.

' _Because my best friend is you, the one I love the most'_


	10. Until the end of time

It's been two years since Seulgi and Wendy have been together, both of them inseparable after confessing their feelings for each other. The five of them had planned to get a drink to catch up, but usually, when you make plans, not everyone shows up on time.

"Oh, just because I invited them, they think it's ok to make me wait," Irene lamented to herself as she took a sip of her whiskey, checking her watch just as the four of them appeared behind her.

"Ireneeeeeeee," Seulgi said as she wrapped her arms around her, swaying her from side to side.

"Did you drink already? Stop that, before I spill this on myself," Irene sighed, not fighting back as she placed her glass down. "So how are the two of you doing? I don't suppose you have any interesting stories?" She asked as she looked at them, fighting back a smile as she saw Wendy's expression, her eyes still full of love and admiration as she watched her girlfriend do dumb things.

"Eh? We don't exactly have a bunch of stories to tell. They're just boring things that every couple experiences from time to time, right Wendy?" Seulgi said as she turned to look at Wendy, her expression one of excitement, but her eyes reflecting more love than Irene saw when the two of them made up after graduation.

"Right," Wendy said as she leaned up to kiss Seulgi's lips, earning an eye roll from Irene as she turned to Joy and Yeri.

"And what about the two of you? If I remember correctly, the two of you decided to share an apartment right? How's that affecting your lives?" Irene asked, taking another sip from her whiskey glass.

"It's a pain in the ass having to babysit, but I make it work," Yeri said, shrugging as she got a cocktail for Joy and herself.

"It's a pain in the ass having to help you find your books every time you lose them, get a shelf already," Joy retorted, taking a sip from her cocktail.

"So everything's the same with the two of you then," Irene said with a shrug as the three of them turned to look at Seulgi and Wendy.

"It's still weird to see the two of you like that," Joy said, resting her chin on her hand, "have you told your parents about your relationship? I can imagine the discomfort of coming out."

"Well, we consider ourselves fortunate, we were best friends for such a long time, and our parents pretty much expected the two of us to start dating sometime in the future," Wendy said as she held Seulgi's hand tightly, her thumb gently caressing her skin as she smiled, leaning her head on Seulgi's shoulder.

"What about you, Irene? Last time we heard, you're still suffering from relationship problems?" Wendy asked as she turned her attention to her.

"God, please don't remind me, I'd rather be in your college situation than put up with what's going on right now," Irene mumbled, downing her drink as she ordered another one. "Fuck it, let's just drink tonight, I'm not here to listen to your love lives, as interesting as they are."

Hours later, the five of them left the bar, Seulgi drunkenly leaning on her girlfriend, Yeri asleep as Joy carried her on her back.

"Will the two of you be fine?" Irene asked, mildly buzzed compared to the others as she looked at Joy and Wendy.

"I stopped drinking after I noticed Yeri drinking more than she could, I'll be fine. I'll text you guys when we get home," Joy said, waving to them as she carried Yeri away, mumbling something about her being heavier than usual.

"We live nearby, we'll be fine," Wendy said as Seulgi kissed her cheeks repeatedly, giggling as she enveloped her in a big hug, singing some song that mostly used 'Wendy' as the lyrics.

"Don't you hate being called Wendy? And since when did you two live together?" Irene asked as she looked at Wendy with an amused expression.

"I hated being called Wendy because only Seulgi called me that," Wendy said as she looked at Seulgi, gently brushing her hair out of her face, "but I don't mind if people call me that now, for obvious reasons," she said with a soft smile, tenderly kissing Seulgi's cheek as Seulgi leaned on her.

"Also, we've been dating for two years, and Seulgi invited me to live with her, but you're not interested in our love lives, aren't you?" Wendy asked teasingly as she supported Seulgi, waving to her as they walked home.

"Tell me about your stories sometimes, I'm not a hundred per cent disinterested!" Irene yelled at her as Wendy waved her off dismissively.

"Hey Joy," Yeri whispered as she leaned her head against her shoulder, "why didn't you tell them about us?" she asked as she kissed her cheek gently.

"Just go back to sleep, we'll tell them when we feel comfortable about what we are," Joy said, rolling her eyes as she turned to kiss her forehead, "next time we go out with them, don't drink so much. It's a pain to carry you home."

"But then I won't be able to be this close with you."

"I said go back to sleep"

"Wendy~ Wendy is my love, Wendy is the best thing ever~" Seulgi sang in a drunken state as she hugged her girlfriend, waddling after her as Wendy struggled to unlock the apartment door, almost immediately throwing Seulgi onto their couch.

"Why are you so cute?" Wendy asked as she sat on the floor beside her, gently stroking Seulgi's hair, twirling them between her fingers.

"I could ask you the same thing," Seulgi huffed as she kissed her forehead, continuing to hum her tune.

"Go wash up and get ready for bed, you can be corny in the morning," Wendy said as she got up, only to be stopped as Seulgi tugged on her sleeve, pulling her on top of her.

"Sleep with me," Seulgi whispered as she looked at her, the dim light of the city illuminating them as she hugged Wendy tight.

"I always sleep with you," Wendy chuckled as she kissed her lips, her hands gently gripping onto Seulgi's shoulders as she snuggled into her chest.

"I love you," Seulgi hummed as she stroked Wendy's back, enjoying the warmth she felt from her body against hers.

"I love you too," Wendy replied, leaning up to press her lips against hers, whimpering softly as she felt Seulgi's respond by nibbling her lower lip.

"Forever?" Seulgi asked, her hands rubbing Wendy's back, slipping one hand up her shirt as she caressed her skin, earning her a shiver and a whimper from the smaller girl.

"Until the end of time," Wendy whispered, gently hitting her shoulder as she responded by slipping her own hands up Seulgi's shirt, pressing her lips against hers once again as the two enjoyed their night together.


End file.
